Riverdale Vol. 1

Riverdale #1

by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Alitha Martinez (Illustrator), Joe Eisma (Illustrator)

From Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and the writers of the CW's Riverdale comes the first collection of the comic book set in the universe of the TV series. RIVERDALE VOL. 1 offers a bold, subversive take on Archie, Betty, Veronica, Josie & the Pussycats and their friends, exploring small-town life and the darkness bubbling beneath Riverdale's wholesome facade.
Learn the secrets and hidden tales from the summer before the eternal love-triangle begins. Featuring four stories focusing on the major players and events in the Riverdale series: Spend some time at Archie's summer construction job and learn how it leads him to a fateful encounter with the alluring music teacher, Ms. Grundy. Discover the truth about Betty's Los Angeles romance. Find out more about Veronica's mysterious life in New York, before the shocking event that would send her family scrambling. And meanwhile, there's Jughead, on the fringes of Riverdale, a witness to the terrible event that sets everything in motion: A tragedy that befalls Jason Blossom. You dare not miss this collection, written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Afterlife with Archie, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) and the writers of the CW Riverdale series, with stunning art by Alitha Martinez (Black Panther: World of Wakanda)!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Fiction, Mystery, Graphic Novels Comics, Thriller

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is an American playwright, screenwriter, and comic book writer best known for his work for Marvel Comics and for the television series Glee, Big Love, Riverdale, and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. He is Chief Creative Officer of Archie Comics.
Aguirre-Sacasa grew up liking comic books, recalling in 2003, "My mom would take us out to the 7-Eleven on River Road during the summer, and we would get Slurpees and buy comics off the spinning rack. I would read them all over and over again, and draw my own pictures and stuff."
He began writing for Marvel Comics, he explained, when "Marvel hired an editor to find new writers, and they hired her from a theatrical agency. So she started calling theaters and asking if they knew any playwrights who might be good for comic books. A couple of different theaters said she should look at me. So she called me, I sent her a couple of my plays and she said 'Great, would you like to pitch on a couple of comic books in the works?'"
His first submissions were "not what [they were] interested in for the character[s]" but eventually he was assigned an 11-page Fantastic Four story, "The True Meaning of...," for the Marvel Holiday Special 2004. He went on to write Fantastic Four stories in Marvel Knights 4, a spinoff of that superhero team's long-running title; and stories for Nightcrawler vol. 3; The Sensational Spider-Man vol. 2; and Dead of Night featuring Man-Thing.
In May 2008 Aguirre-Sacasa returned to the Fantastic Four with a miniseries tie-in to the company-wide "Secret Invasion" storyline concerning a years-long infiltration of Earth by the shape-shifting alien race, the Skrulls,and an Angel Revelations miniseries with artists Barry Kitson and Adam Polina, respectively. He adapted for comics the Stephen King novel The Stand.

In 2013, he created Afterlife with Archie, depicting Archie Andrews in the midst of a zombie apocalypse; the book's success led to Aguirre-Sacasa being named Archie Comics' chief creative officer.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the show is decent and I have watched several episodes. I think what really bothers me about this is that Jughead is one of my favorite characters and I think they don't have his character right. It's sorta there, but not totally. I don't like the brooding Jughead and he isn't poor in the comics. I just don't like what the show did to him.

I did like when Cheryl comes in and calls Jughead 'bughead'. I laughed. Stupid, I know. The show was turned into a 'Twin Peaks' type show and it does fit into that. It's different than the comics and I get that, but it's also not as much fun in my opinion.

They have a few short little episodes in here between the TV shows stories and there is one that is based off the 'Breakfast Club'. That was enjoyable to watch and kinda short. If you enjoy the TV show, then you will enjoy this extra bits of story from the show.

[Brooke — brooklynnnnereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those who picked up the new reboot of the "Archie" comics and expected it to be the story of "Riverdale", this comic is for you. It's a comic based on stories that are in-between the episodes so it gives more of a behind-the-scenes look at scenes that were mentioned but were not shown on the show. For instance, Betty's internship.

I actually did enjoy this comic and thought that it stayed true to the show. It did have some aspects that were kept from the classic comic but mainly, it felt that this comic is moreso geared towards fan of the show (as you would expect).

I did like illustrations throughout the issues in this volume and although there were some changes in illustrators throughout, it felt that it went together more neatly and the illustrators complemented each other. It was a much better experience than reading the first "Archie" comic with the vast difference between illustrators.

For fans of the show, I definitely would recommend this volume. I'm interested in reading what is to come but I know I should probably get farther along in the show. For those that are curious, I have only watched the first season of "Riverdale" and nothing within this volume was a spoiler for me.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have not watched the TV show, but have read the Archie comics. These were actually some decent stories that take place between episodes of the series. I kind of liked how they updated the characters from the comics. Not bad.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the Riverdale show and many of these issues follow the shows story - although there are also extra stories which aren’t portrayed in the show. These add more depth to the characters and I enjoyed each of the stories within this volume. It was a fun and quick read.

[Renata · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's smart that they're now making Riverdale-specific comics, since the show is prettttty different from the actual Archie reboot comics. (I appreciate what they're doing with the "Road to Riverdale" trade volumes in a marketing stance, but there is no way that those comics are actually a road that arrives at Riverdale the TV show.)

These comics are dumb but in the way that the show is dumb, which is to say: compellingly dumb. I read this whole volume over my lunch break and enjoyed it, especially the bonkers detail of Betty reading the copy of THE STORY OF O that JASON GAVE TO POLLY. Did NOT love that this gave us MORE of Archie and Ms. Grundy like jeeez was anyone asking for MORE of that whole deal?

Anyway it's a quick fun read if you're already in the Riverdale trash pile.

[Trevor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know why I read this.

[kim hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐ ┊ 4 stars

Sorry been MIA! I gave birth to a baby boy last year and well...life got busy! Haha. Started work the start of the year and still working now. But slowly slowly getting back into reading.

I've seen I think the first 2 seasons of Riverdale so coming into this comic - I wasn't sure whether it would be the same as the show...but it is! I guess we'll see how we go. I got bored of the show after it got weird. But I loved the first season so I loved this volume too.

[Nyanbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

En este libro podremos encontrar historias cortas de cada uno de los personajes, estas no han sido nunca vistas en la serie por lo que conoceremos algo más a cada uno de ellos. En concreto en este cómic podremos ver algunas escenas que ocurrieron antes de la primera temporada, por lo que me ha resultado muy interesante.

Cada capítulo está realizado por diferentes autores y artistas, esto me ha llamado la atención, ya que se podía apreciar diferentes estilos a los largo del cómic. Ha sido interesante poder ver las diferentes ilustraciones representando a los mismos personajes.

Me ha gustado poder saber más de Riverdale, ya que la serie me tiene bastante enganchada y me ha encantado poder leer sobre ello y además en este formato que disfruto mucho.

Quizás me hubiese gustado que los capítulos fuesen algo más largos y que se profundizase algo más en la trama.

En resumen, si eres fan de Riverdale no te puedes perder estos cómics, ya que descubrirás cosas que no verás en la serie. 3,5/5⭐

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this during my lunch break and enjoyed it. It isn't anything special but it's definitely a fun companion if you enjoy the show!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome, Readers, to a comic book based on a TV show based on a comic book.

The show is the CW's Riverdale, a darker take on Archie, Betty, Veronica, and the rest of the gang. This book contains stories set in the Riverdale "universe". So you may notice that things are a bit more macabre, a bit sexier, and a bit more... off. Like a strawberry milkshake that's on the verge of curdling.

Prequel of sorts to the Riverdale TV show, with stories set before the show begins, or between the lines of episodes -- which means it doesn't fit into the main Archie timeline/canon, but rather follows the characterisations & plotlines of the show. As a result, I actually think I liked this more than the other volume I read (Road to Riverdale), just because I'm super attached to this ridiculous show and absolutely want to read more stories between the cracks, plus I appreciate its increased diversity.

Also, it was oddly nice just to see the kids being kids and attending school and dealing with more quotidian issues than Terrible Murders. I think I like Riverdale!Veronica more than in the main continuity, too; she's far more likeable here.

My favourite chapter was probably Cheryl's story, because it has a lot of noir influences, and features Jughead being a sleuthy private eye with Betty, and Cheryl as their red-clad femme fatale hiring them for a job. I LOVE ALL THIS.

Or my other fave was the Breakfast Club riff, where the whole gang has detention on a Saturday, and undergoes a Rashomon-esque retelling to figure out who started a disastrous food fight.

Really solid 4 stars. I'm probably going to continue with this tie-in comic book series.

[Douglas Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me several pages to warm up to this collection of stories from Riverdale, but by the middle I was all in and read this in 2 sittings. After the first 2, the stories are all things that could have happened at the same time as the events that aired on the CW during season one. My favorites being Archie's football hazing, and the volume's final story which in film noir style has Betty and Jughead acting as private detectives for Cheryl Blossom. Each story is done by a different writer and artistic team, but the entire volume has a very slick and modern style that helps to bring the character's to life.

[Bert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I borrowed a bunch of Riverdale graphic novels from the library because I wanted something light and easy to finish the year off with, this first volume was great.

It feels very much a bridge between the super cheesy Archie comics and the tv show Riverdale. It’s not quite as dark as the show and not quite as light and sunny as the comics, it fits right there in the middle.

Shirtless Archie is just as sexy in print form!

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 🌟

Nice to see what the gang was doing the summer Jason Blossom was killed. Don't like that Archie was having sex with Miss Grundy. The Northside and Southside dynamic is very interesting. Not really a fan of Cheryl. Sad that Cheryl's dad is having an affair though. Hope to see more stories with the gang.

Can't wait to read Riverdale volume 2!!!!

[Semaj · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started watching riverdale recently and it is really fun to watch. This is my first comic and I really like it.

[layla · Rating 5 out of 5]

i know i know you must be thinking "layla, why are you giving this comic 5 stars? its riverdale, its not even that good" well to answer that question: i don't even know. its the stupid bullshit that makes me rate it 5 stars every time i read something from riverdale so i don't suggest you check this out, but if you like the show sure, read this

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

En tant que fan de la série télévisée Riverdale, dès que cette BD/comic a été annoncée, je savais qu’il faudrait absolument que je la lise !

Je me suis donc plongée dans cette lecture que j’ai dévorée très rapidement !

Pour ceux qui ne connaîtraient pas la série, on va suivre les aventures d’une bande de jeunes vivants à Riverdale composée entre autres de Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead et Cheryl.

Les chapitres sont assez courts et vont chacun être une mini-histoire à eux tout seuls et les illustrateurs sont différents pour chaque chapitre ce qui permet des coups de crayons variés !

Certains des chapitres reprennent des scènes existantes dans la série, les autres sont des petits ajouts qui nous permettent d’en découvrir un peu plus sur les personnages.

En tout cas, je ne regrette absolument pas cette lecture et je pense lire à sa sortie le spin-off Riverdale présente Archie qui paraîtra le mois prochain ! ♥

http://www.gamesofbooks.com/2018/06/1...

[Heather Purri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is stunning. This volume has 8 authors and 11 illustrators, and it's headed by Aguirre-Sacasa, the creator of the T.V. show. It has detailed, full-color art and the characters take turns narrating the chapters. On the downside, the characters are way more successful and good at adulting than the T.V. characters (and any ordinary person). Josie of Josie and the Pussycats really leans into her cat-themed dialogue in the comics, which you may or may not like. (I think it's cute.) On the upside, the unsettling, bizarre (possibly supernatural) vibe in Riverdale is clearer in comic book form without the heavy-handedness that the show employs to get the idea across. That's because you read the characters' thoughts, and the artwork builds a lot of ambiance. It's also easier to accept peculiar and eccentric things in a comic book. Moreover, the comics have the same decadent 1950s film noir + Rebel Without a Cause (1955) + Blackboard Jungle (1955) aesthetic as the show.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Created to augment the TV series, this is an entertaining volume. We open up with four short stories that tie directly into the first episode of the TV series, then we have several more short stories that are set in the TV series universe, but really don't reveal anything extremely important. If you are a fan of the show it is cool to see what amounts to "deleted scenes", and the writing and are are very well done. I would recommend this to any fans of the TV series, but if you are a traditional Archie comics fan you may not like these as much. By this point, however, I don't think anyone is confusing Riverdale with old school Archie, so most readers probably know what they're in for.

[Maggie Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are a fan of the show, then this is a fun little, though completely unnecessary little collection of side stories that flesh the characters out more. I actually appreciated getting into Archie's head, not that it makes him less frustrating, but it explains some of his bizarre behaviour in season one. The art is not fantastic. I wish they could have roped Fiona Staples into doing more Archie because this felt like a bunch of superhero artists trying really hard to match the style of the show itself. It's a bit uncanny valley at times.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just as fun as the show is! Betty's chapter was particularly fun for me since I've lived in Los Angeles and was laughing at the references. I'll definitely be continuing. I'm also interested in checking out the reboot of Archie after that bonus issue.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good book. I like that it is kinda like the show but also kinda like the new Archie comics

[Dominika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Piękne czasy kiedy jeszcze riverdale miało sens...

[Georgia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first time reading a comic book. It was good but not really my cup of tea. With saying that I’m still going to read the other Riverdale/ Archie comics.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been many years since I was an avid fan of reading comics, and I am yet to watch the Riverdale series made for television; but this entry via graphic novel makes for at least a smoother return.
As a kid I did got through a comic phase, and at the risk of sounding sexist, it appeared to be more common in introverted boys like myself, with limited sporting prowess.
The Archie comics were the white middle class American Urbane view of the world as it never was that people aspired to, much like the Brady Bunch. It has now morphed into an updated form with teen angst in a world spotted with the diverse financial, racial, and sexual realities that are ever more present in popular media; more like a soap opera than the sit com of the past.
Just as the Charline Harris Sooky Stackhouse books varied from the True Blood series for television, I predict that the drama version of Riverdale will have some departure from the modern graphic novels, but maybe with less divergence. Never-the-less I am looking forward to it.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay, but I wish that either there was a story tying the whole collection together, or that each chapter had to actually do with the show. It started out that way, with the comics about what Archie, Jughead, Veronica, and Betty were up to during the summer before Jason was killed, but it was just kind of random stories after that, not tied to any events or episodes. That said, I did like the Breakfast Club story, and the one about Betty doing Cheryl's initiation to stay on the River Vixens. But all in all, I'd rather just watch the show.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the Archie comics as a kid, always looking for new issues in the grocery store checkout line, and recently fell down the rabbit hole that is the CW’s Riverdale. From what I understand, this compiles various stories from across the revamped Archie and Friends series and gives us intermezzo stories to fill in gaps from the show. I especially loved the final issue in this compilation, which featured Betty and Jughead as film noir-ish detectives. It is 100% High Quality Trash and I loved every page of it.

[Joana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, back to me not liking Archie Comics... there was nothing wrong here, it was mainly filling up space in the show, which meant none of annoying fighting between Veronica and Betty for Archie. But it did nothing for me... I think mostly because all the stories were about the kids, the main ones, and they don't really appeal to me much... my favorite story was the last one, but mostly because it reminded me of Sierra and Tom and they are adorable!!!
Again, this volume was not for me, but if you like the show and love the core four and Cheryl, you'll probably enjoy this :)

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had hundreds upon hundreds of Archie comic books back in the day but strangely, have never watched watched or read a Riverdale episode until well, today. There’re quite a few twists and surprises here since the 70s. The biggest, I’d say, is Archie’s affair with his teacher, the retirement aged Miss Grundy (at least that’s how old she was back then.) Um ok. But whatevah. The art was good and they’re putting a lot of effort into modernizing this ancient comic.

[Raina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in all the voices of the characters in the tv show, which was kind of neat. Overall I was underwhelmed.